The Golden State Valkyries completed the biggest playoff comeback in their young franchise history Friday night, rallying from 16 points down to defeat the Dallas Wings 77-73.
The victory at Chase Center in San Francisco gave Golden State a 2-1 win in the best-of-three first-round series and sent the Valkyries to the WNBA semifinals for the first time.
Golden State appeared to be in serious trouble during the third quarter.
Dallas had scored 20 consecutive points as the Valkyries went through a long scoring drought. A Golden State lead turned into a 53-37 deficit with less than six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Then the game changed.
Veronica Burton hit a three-pointer with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter, giving Golden State its first points in several minutes.
The basket helped wake up both the Valkyries and the sellout crowd at Chase Center.
Golden State slowly cut into the deficit and entered the final quarter with momentum.
Gabby Williams became the key player during the comeback.
Williams scored 17 of her team-high 19 points in the second half and added 11 points in the fourth quarter.
With 1:17 remaining, Williams hit a 17-foot pull-up jumper that gave Golden State the lead.
Dallas still had opportunities to answer, but Golden State’s defense held firm.
Williams then made four free throws in the final 10 seconds to help secure the 77-73 victory.
Tiffany Hayes added 18 points for the Valkyries.
Burton finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists while helping spark the defensive turnaround that brought Golden State back into the game.
Dallas guard Arike Ogunbowale again led the Wings.
She scored 30 points after producing 45 points in Dallas’ overtime victory in Game 2.
Ogunbowale hit a difficult jumper with 3:13 remaining that gave Dallas a five-point lead, but the Wings could not hold it.
Paige Bueckers finished with 17 points and six assists for Dallas.
One of the most important moments came with only 13.1 seconds remaining.
Williams tried to recover her own missed shot near the sideline. Officials initially ruled that the ball belonged to Dallas.
Golden State coach Natalie Nakase challenged the call.
After reviewing the play, officials reversed the decision and awarded possession to the Valkyries.
That allowed Golden State to maintain control while holding a one-point lead.
The final minutes also included a frightening moment involving Nakase.
The Valkyries coach fell to her knees near the sideline during the fourth quarter and was helped by members of the team staff.
She remained involved in the game from the bench and continued coaching.
Assistant coach Kasib Powell later said Nakase was doing well and expected to be ready for the semifinal series. Reports indicated she had become lightheaded from exhaustion.
The comeback marked another milestone for a franchise that began playing only last season.
Golden State made the playoffs during its inaugural 2025 season, becoming the first WNBA expansion team to reach the postseason in its first year.
That playoff appearance ended with a first-round loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
This time, the Valkyries went further.
Golden State entered the 2026 playoffs as the No. 2 seed after finishing the regular season with a 32-12 record.
Dallas entered as the No. 7 seed at 27-17.
The Valkyries opened the series with a convincing victory in San Francisco.
Dallas then forced a deciding third game with an overtime victory at home behind Ogunbowale’s 45-point performance.
For much of Game 3, it looked as though Dallas might complete the upset.
Instead, Golden State produced one of the largest winner-take-all comebacks in WNBA history.
The 16-point rally tied for the fifth-largest comeback in a winner-take-all game in league history, according to the Valkyries.
The Valkyries will now face the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals.
Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The semifinal round will be a best-of-five series.
Golden State will have home-court advantage after earning the higher playoff seed.
The Aces present another major challenge. Las Vegas won all three regular-season meetings against Golden State.
But after surviving a 16-point deficit with its season on the line, Golden State will enter the semifinals having already produced the most significant playoff victory in franchise history.